Popular Airline Announces Major Change and Travelers Are Furious
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As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. And in this case, the days of checking your bags for free with Southwest Airlines are ending.
The airline recently announced that ticket holders who book flights on or after May 28th will pay a fee to check their bags. This news comes as a shock, considering the two-free checked bag policy was the highlight of the brand's marketing strategy and one of the main reasons most people chose to fly with the airline. The sudden change has customers rightfully up in arms, and they are leaving colorful comments expressing disappointment.
"Looks like there's zero reason to fly @SouthwestAir now. Your one real perk was the free checked bags-your prices aren't cheaper, your planes aren't nicer, & your coke products are often flat," expressed one customer on X (formerly known as Twitter). "Like please w/ a straight face tell me why we'd continue to be loyal to y'all? Bad move."
"For so many years, @SouthwestAir advertised 'bags fly free' as a key differentiator from other airlines," another passenger wrote on the platform. "And now #SouthwestAirlines is joining the rest by charging checked bag fees and becoming just another airline. What happened to the #luv?"
To make matters worse, this isn't the only change coming. The airline announced last year it would end its open seating policy (where passengers can choose their seats for free), another thing customers loved. Now, they'll introduce seat assignments, seats with extra legroom and a new Basic fare tier for its cheapest tickets.
"My family has always been a SWA family. Taking away the 2 free bags, the open seating, and free changes and cancellations for flights in addition to no longer having competitive prices takes away why loyal customers like us always fly with you," someone said. "These are bad moves @SouthwestAir."
While it's unclear exactly what prompted the change, Southwest will still offer two-free checked bags to its Business Select and Rapid Rewards A-List Preferred Members. A-list members and Southwest credit card holders are allowed to check one free bag. The brand has yet to tell future flyers how much it will charge per bag.
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